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51 pilgrims killed in Sabarimala stampede, 102 injured

A major tragedy struck the famed Makara Vilakku festival at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala when 51 devotees of Lord Ayyappa were killed and 102 people injured in a stampede on Thursday evening.

The accident occurred when the surging crowds were returning to the buses at Pampa after witnessing the Makara Jyoti on the distant Ponnambalamedu Hill. Over 500,000 people were reportedly present to witness the spectacle.

The stampede was reportedly caused when a rope that was tied to control the crowds gave way. Several people were trampled upon while many more fell off the hillside to a depth of about 40 feet. Star News reporter Bobby Nair said this morning that a "broken" electrical wire at the site frightened many pilgrims who then rushed down the hill, causing a landslide. However, no one was reported buried in the debris. Most of the casualties were crushed in the stampede.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims chanting "Swamiye saranam Ayyappa (We submit to thee, Ayyappa)", had thronged all vantage points at Sannidhanam, Pampa, Nilackal and other places to witness the Makara Jyoti.

The district superintendent of police said 26 people died on the spot while 25 others died of injuries at the Pampa General Hospital. Five of the 102 people injured are in a serious condition.

The police said five of the dead had been identified. They are Sivaraman (45) of Salepuram in Quilon district, Narasimha Rao of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Pampa Sanitation Society employee Kallakkurissi Elamapper Raghu (22), Ramachandra Rau, also from Andhra Pradesh, and Arunachalam (32) from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

Most of the people who were thronging the hilltop to witness the Makara Jyoti were from other states.

The facilities at Sabarimala have not kept up with the large number of pilgrims who come to worship each year. There are only 30 doctors present to attend to the hundred of thousands of devotees, one reporter said.

UNI

The Kerala state page

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